Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-04-Speech-2-162"
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"en.20070904.21.2-162"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I have the honour to present, on behalf of the Presidency of the Council, the draft general budget of the European Communities for the financial year 2008, adopted by the Council on 13 July 2007.
The draft budget for 2008 amounts to EUR 128 000 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 119 000 million in payment appropriations. As regards commitments, I should remind you that the Council considers it essential that these reach an appropriate overall level in the 2008 budget, with due regard to the capacities for absorption. As you know, we consider that overestimating payment appropriations is not a solution for unpaid commitments, the
One of our guiding principles was therefore to assess the needs – real and clearly defined needs – and this resulted in an increase in payments of 3.4% compared with the 2007 budget.
As regards sub-heading 1a – Competitiveness for growth and employment – the Council intends to provide for appropriate funding of priorities connected with the Lisbon Strategy, having left a significant margin to cover the European Union priorities defined in the conclusions of the June European Council, as well as other so far unforeseen needs. Although the Council intends to limit increases under this sub-heading in comparison with the 2007 budget, I should point out that the Council will continue to provide for a very significant increase in the Research budget, i.e. 7.75% in commitments and 45% in payments, in the light of the rate of execution in previous years and the capacities for absorption. This increase reflects the great importance that the Council attaches to efficient implementation of the Lisbon Strategy which, as I have already mentioned, is an essential element in the economic development of the European Union.
As regards sub-heading 1b – Cohesion for growth and employment - the Council intends to accept the commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission in its preliminary draft budget. With regard to the payment appropriations, I should like to emphasise that the proposed increase has been maintained at an even more significant level, i.e. 6.2%, taking into account the capacities for absorption and past experience with the completion of old programmes and the execution of new ones.
As regards heading 2 – Preservation and management of natural resources – the appropriations proposed by the Council were based on earlier results and past experience has shown that, despite being applied horizontally, these appropriations are generally speaking always very close to the figures for the final execution.
I should like to expand on some considerations concerning the approval of operational programmes and projects in the areas of rural development and the Structural and Cohesion Funds for the period 2007-2013. This was the subject of a joint statement which we approved at our conciliation meeting and I can assure you that the Council attaches the greatest political importance to ensuring that all operational programmes and projects are executed as rapidly as possible and in an appropriate manner.
As to headings 3a and 3b – Citizenship, freedom, security and justice – the Council intends to make only one slight adjustment to the commitment and payment appropriations in accordance with the capacities for absorption and the prior rate of execution.
As regards heading 4 – The EU as a global partner – the Council intends to include some priorities with a political bearing in its draft budget. I refer to Palestine, for which an increase of EUR 80 million is proposed, in reserve, and Kosovo, for which an increase of EUR 180 million is proposed, likewise in reserve. We are still in the first stage of the budgetary process and I am sure we shall have further opportunities to give more precise figures in this connection.
At the present stage, the Council intends, so far as it is concerned, to accept the Common Foreign and Security Policy budget proposed in the preliminary draft budget as representing a provisional minimum. However, it is highly probable that the amount proposed for the Common Foreign and Security Policy budget will prove to be insufficient in the light of developments in the international situation. I think we all understand what is at stake.
I should like to end my explanatory statement with a few words about heading 5 – Administration. The Council’s approach is based on horizontal criteria such as increased efficiency and, at the same time, on the specific nature of each institution, especially in terms of the provision of new posts in connection with enlargement. For its own section of the budget, the Council intends to provide an increase of only 0.2%, which seems to me to represent a clear political signal.
A detailed analysis of the budgets of the decentralised agencies was also carried out. A method based on horizontal criteria was used both on subsidies and with regard to the number of new posts to be approved.
I should like, first of all, to record the excellent and constructive atmosphere that prevailed during the meetings preceding the first reading of the 2008 budget by the Council. The conciliation meeting produced a significant result, namely agreement on five joint statements on important subjects, providing a good basis for future work.
I also take this opportunity to say a few words about the need to ensure sound financial management of the European Union institutions. In this connection, the Council is delighted with the joint statements which we approved at the conciliation meeting and which raise questions such as decentralised agencies, executive agencies, assigned revenues and recruitment in connection with the latest enlargements.
We all know that this is only the first step in the budgetary process, but I have every confidence that together we shall be able to explore all the possibilities in order to reach a final agreement and produce a satisfactory budget at the end of the year.
Our principal objective is to have at our disposal in due course a budget for 2008 that will be adequate for the purpose of the Union’s political priorities but that is not excessively large, because that would signify acquiescence in a probable failure to execute it effectively and efficiently. We must bear in mind not only that this budget will affect the well-being of each and every citizen of the Union but also that it is the taxpayers of each and every Member State who foot the bill. Hence the need to strike the right balance. I am sure that the three institutions represented here today will make every effort to do so.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for your kind attention.
In this respect, I am convinced that the excellent cooperation between the two branches of the budgetary authority, with the valuable assistance of the Commission, augurs a positive outcome. I can assure you that the Council is keen to continue the constructive dialogue on the budget in order to reach a satisfactory agreement on a good Community budget for 2008.
In March 2007 we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Treaties of Rome and reaffirmed our common values and objectives. In the dynamic project that is the European Union, the European Union budget like the single currency is one of the most tangible expressions of what it means, for the European citizen and taxpayer, to be European. The European Union budget must therefore be drawn up in the light of the challenges we face together. There are various challenges but I will, if I may, draw attention to some which I consider to be more important. First, the challenge of eliminating the barriers to entrepreneurship in order to create a dynamic European economy based on the Lisbon Strategy. Another challenge is to create a trans-European transport network to bring us closer to one another and consolidate the internal European market. The challenge of an information society shows the importance of human resources and social inclusion.
The European Union will derive greater strength from the enlightened participation of its citizens in this project, unique in modern history. The latest challenge, affecting some regions in particular – the challenge of climate change – must be met by developing renewable sources of energy and by more efficient and socially responsible use of natural resources.
All these challenges arise in the context of the globalisation of the world economy, which presents a serious challenge for our old continent of Europe, a challenge we must meet at an economic and social level with policies that will increase the productivity of the European economy and strengthen social cohesion. This is what all Europeans expect of our government. We must all redouble our efforts to ensure that our budgets represent an effective and efficient response to the political priorities.
It is therefore necessary for us to reduce the administrative burdens, concerns shared by the Council and the European Parliament, and for the Commission to speed up the process of approving operational programmes and projects so as to avoid delays in execution. More rapid approval must not, however, call into question the principles of good budgetary management. It is true that we need greater flexibility but not at the cost of abandoning the efficient and responsible use of the European taxpayers’ money.
Before presenting the draft budget for 2008 in more detail, I should like to record the guiding principles behind the Council’s decision. The essential elements, in brief, were appropriate funding for the various European Union priorities; a carefully controlled increase in payment appropriations; compliance with the current ceilings of the financial framework leaving, where necessary, sufficient margins below the ceilings for the various headings and sub-headings; and lastly financial discipline and good budgetary management.
I will, if I may, mention just one detail. In order to complete its analysis of the preliminary draft budget, the Council employed a combination of budgetary tools which proved to be extremely useful and which were developed in the context of budgeting for objectives and activities. Among them, I should like to draw attention to the activity planning forms, where the Council considers, after examining a number of them in depth, that the overall quality of the process has improved significantly and hopes that this budgetary approach will be developed further in the future."@en1
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